Ethan and the yellow potato on the ground stared at each other for a while, forcibly suppressing the tremor in his heart—he really wanted to pull this little potato out of the ground to see her in full view.

This chubby face made it hard for him not to suspect that what was buried beneath the soil was a classic three-heads-high figure.

But, there's time for that in the future.

He just didn't believe this little potato could stay underground forever and never come out.

"Little Potato, you don't want everyone to have to wear strange masks for the rest of their lives, do you?"

Ethan felt there was a deep misunderstanding between him and the earth element; in fact, anyone who knew him knew that he had always been a pacifist, advocating for resolving issues through peaceful diplomacy.

Now that he thought about it, he had only known Little Potato for a few days and hadn't exchanged information about the King of Gold with her yet.

Now everyone is on the same boat, which explained through legal studies is akin to a large theft gang. If caught, they would all go to prison collectively.

And this little potato is the leader of the mysterious thief group, fulfilling the sentencing standard of "extremely vile in nature, subject to severe punishment."

"Don't call me Little Potato!"

The yellow potato widened her eyes, trying hard to put on a fierce expression, but her round little face found it hard to convey any menace, "I'm not rustic at all, I'm very trendy!"

"Then... how about Little Yam?"

Little Potato pondered over this new nickname with her neck stiff for quite some time and finally accepted it, "That's more like it!"

"You probably haven't heard about the Six-Person Council. They are the elite selected by the King of Gold from the planes he conquered."

These are Cynthia's original words.

Some are sovereigns of nations, while others are world-renowned warriors. Only in this way can they meet the "special" criteria set by the King of Gold, whose methods of conquering subjects are always simple and brutal — sounding bells and golden radiation to stamp his will onto their minds like a steel seal.

They all tried to resist once and ended up failing.

The King of Gold gradually became an indelible shadow in their hearts until there was nothing left inside them but obedience.

As long as they obeyed the King of Gold, matters wouldn't spiral towards the worst outcome.

"After that, the King of Gold would transfer part of his powers to these domesticated subjects, allowing them to carry out his will."

As for the King of Gold himself, he sounded more like a hands-off leader. He had no interest in governance and entrusted these trivial matters to subjects who would never defy him.

"That King of Gold is really a nasty piece of work!"

The yellow potato was filled with righteous indignation, her triangular slightly open mouth clenched her teeth tightly, and a "#" shaped wrinkle even appeared on the left side of her forehead.

Heavens, how could there be such a wicked person like the King of Gold?

Little Potato's reaction was exactly as Ethan had expected. He really enjoyed dealing with natural elements, as they, despite their different characters, had a simple sense of justice at heart.

They would feel sad for good people suffering and would grind their teeth in anger when faced with an entity like the King of Gold.

Little Potato suddenly realized something and asked, "According to you, does that mean the members of the Six-Person Council are pitiable people as well?"

He could easily imagine them once living carefree in their homeland, only to have the King of Gold descend unexpectedly one day, turning their friends and relatives into mindless zombies, forcing them into servitude.

"You could see it that way."

Ethan thought the yellow potato was still young and didn't plan to explain more complex issues to her.

In reality, the formerly pitiable people had already become the aggressors. The will to resist had been worn down by fear, and over time, they had begun to succumb to the will of the King of Gold, becoming aggressors themselves, even worse than before, as if witnessing others' suffering were the only way to smooth away their inner resentment and decay.

"Yesterday, the man we encountered was named Charman, who was once a wise king. Under his rule, the Kingdom thrived, and the people lived and worked in peace. He advocated for hands-on governance, which is why the King of Gold valued his talents, thinking the Golden Kingdom needed such a virtuous minister as his right hand."

Ethan paused, "And so Charman's Kingdom was destroyed, branded with the mark of the King of Gold. It became a mineral reserve for the Golden Kingdom, and his people became tireless miners. As a reward, the King of Gold bestowed upon Charman a scepter. No matter how strong one's will, it was impossible to resist the power of the scepter; it could transform any rebel against the King of Gold into the most loyal citizen of the Golden Kingdom."

These were stories told by Cynthia.

In fact, each member of the Six-Person Council had their own legendary history. Countless people respected and admired them, turning them into "special" beings with human bodies.

Ethan suspected that the "next-generation" golden mask was a product of that scepter.

Once the six barbs on the mask pierced the skin, even the marks of the Old Gods would be erased.

It was also one of the divine artifacts the King of Gold discovered among various planes, with powers to rewrite the rules.

"Wait a minute, what's with that expression of yours?"

As the story came to an end, Ethan immediately saw the shy demeanor on Little Potato's face.

This Little Potato clearly wasn't good at lying. Faced with Ethan's questioning, she guiltily turned her head away, exactly like Lindong when caught in the act.